Thread: How to find a good website designer

I would like to get a new web site. My current site site is straight out of a can and does not give the results I am after. www.maplewoodlawn.com. I have spent some time googling website designers and am at the point of information overload . Any one have some recommendations?

You will get a ton of advice on this site but the first thing you need to do it write down what it is you want from your website?

I use a canned CMS program and a purchased template. Your site is not bad but you need to be able to work on the content, seo and such. Content is king

I like service autopilot. It takes some time to get use to but it is very capable. They just did an overhaul and it is looking good. SA has cut my office time down quite a bit and upped my organization. I especially like the mobile SA. To have my customers info on tap like that is great. Mostly in apps and mowing is where it shines.

I would like to get a new web site. My current site site is straight out of a can and does not give the results I am after. www.maplewoodlawn.com. I have spent some time googling website designers and am at the point of information overload . Any one have some recommendations?

If you haven't done so, I'd really recommend making a pot of coffee and just work your way back through this sub-forum. Arming yourself with the info will help better identify, or whittle down, the candidates you put together. Today's a good day to do it while my beloved, and hugely mediocre, Big Ten football teams monopolize the New Year's Day bowl games. lol

Your topic comes up often enough, and you'll find advice from quite a few of us re: what to look for in a developer/designer/web marketer. I'd also really recommend that you take the time to read the site review request posts as you'll also help yourself in identifying what makes a site a good site, the usual pitfalls, SEO issues, design thoughts, etc.

While your web site may not be flashy, it does accomplish one very simple goal that soooo many others miss. You state clearly, right up front, the service areas.

I have clicked on other threads about "how is my site," and search high-low, never to find where the LCO is working. We can easily loose sight that web pages are available to a global audience, and cannot assume that only those in our area will view the site.

I do not have a page, but do follow the process and effectiveness of the entire appeal of web pages. Somebody mentioned above SEO issues, and this is very important. Yes, page content is important, but good content does not matter if a seeker never gets to your page. Think through the seeker of your services. What questions might they ask to find your pages? Will your design bring up your pages to the top on a search? If you are buried on the second or third page of choices, few, if any, seekers will ever see your content.

Perhaps LS is not the best place to get advice about SEO. No, mark that, ... LS is not the best place. You need to find a person very familiar with web design, who does this work every day (successfully), not somebody who is keen on straight stripes across a lawn (due respect given to both skills). But, I think this was your initial question -- how to find somebody? Surely you know somebody locally who works with web pages. They may not want the work, may not be in a position to help, but can point you to another source. This is why business networking is important.

Perhaps LS is not the best place to get advice about SEO. No, mark that, ... LS is not the best place. You need to find a person very familiar with web design, who does this work every day (successfully), not somebody who is keen on straight stripes across a lawn (due respect given to both skills).

Count me among the people who just shot coffee from their nose...

A.) A couple of us do fall under the umbrella of subject matter experts on this and spend quite a bit of time volunteering to help people out.

B.) It would seem the best place to get referrals would be from those successful within your own industry. After this, the goal is to identify those candidates that are actually good at doing their job. That's the hard part.

C.) I would never recommend a local web company who works with other local LCOs. Ever. There have been a couple of great examples here of exactly why this is a problem. It's akin to paying one football coach to coach two teams who are both playing each other.